As she mentioned her brother, I wondered why he wasn’t at the forefront of taking over Sunny Brook. But I didn’t think we had moved far enough away from rivals to a friendship to ask those personal questions about her family.
She flipped open a laptop that I hadn’t noticed and logged into the device before shifting it over toward me.
“I’m looking for a range of ten to twenty thousand that we could maneuver. The bookkeeping software is on here, as well as the manufacturer and wholesaler catalogs for the items we use on rotation. You’re also welcome to search for a better deal anywhere else. If you find them, then that’s up to Andrew. I just want to see if we can come up with a proposal, you know?”
“Sure. Sounds easy enough.” I watched her boot up another desktop with a thin, sleek monitor. “What will you be doing?”
She went on, talking about the robot she sent out to test some fields this morning and how she wasn’t sure of the quality. The details were vague, but it seemed she was hoping to add new crops to the land. “Essentially, I’m running some data and comparing it to our control field, which produces our healthiest crop of corn.”
“That sounds neat, actually. I didn’t know things like that existed.”
“They didn’t until recently. Nate sold the patent to a huge firm with enough investment to keep it affordable to farmers. We’re the backbone of the country.”
“You’re proud of that, aren’t you? You like being a part of something that’s a legacy in its own right.”
“Yeah,” she whispered. “I’m surprised you figured that out. It’s why I’m afraid to… leave. What happens if I do? The alternative scares me.”
“That’s something for your family to figure out, Aspen.”
The moment the words slipped from my lips, I immediately regretted them and tried to apologize, but no sound came out.
“Let’s… um… get to work. Then we can grab your car and check out the rental.”
I spent an hour analyzing all the numbers for Sunny Brook Farms. There was a large lump sum withdrawn recently, which gave me pause, but I knew none of that was my business. Clearly, they were in the black and doing well. I did not need to question what they spent their money on.
I glanced over at Aspen a few times, enraptured by the way she pursed her lips and twisted her hair as she compared multiple data points on the screen. It looked like a mashup for line charts, but she seemed to know what she was looking for.
“Any luck?” she asked, spinning around in her chair, catching me red-handed while staring at her profile.
“Yeah. I’ve typed up a few areas where you could tighten dollars by saving on delivery fees, all by changing the purchase date of some items. It may take a few of weeks, but in the long run, you’d have a couple thousand extra.
“Now, I also researched a few new manufacturers for your ancillary items, and some look like they offer steeper discounts for bulk ordering than the ones you’ve used in the past.”
“Can I see?” Aspen pulled her chair closer to mine and leaned over my arm, getting a better look at the document and the information I pulled.
“It’s all there for you to review with your father, but I think with these changes, you could make it work.”
She twisted her head to glance over her shoulder, bringing our mouths mere inches apart.
“Thank you,” she murmured, her eyes darting down to my lips, then back up again, before she righted herself.
“You’re welcome,” I squeaked like I was going through puberty. Clearing my throat, I asked, “How was it for you… with the data, I mean?”
“It was… satisfactory. I think what I’m looking for is there.”
For a moment, I didn’t think she was referring to the data.
A startled gasp sounded from across the room, and both Aspen and I jumped in our chairs. Her sister, Alex, stood at the threshold, looking like she’d seen a ghost.
With her eyes narrowed and pinned on me, she sneered as she asked me, “What are you doing here?”
Before I had the chance to answer, Aspen stood from her seat and shut down her computer. “Shut it, Alex. Owen was helping me with something.”
“Right. Just like he helped himself to the bottle of ketchup in middle school and convinced everyone you had your period and bled through your clothes?”
Oh shit. I’d forgotten about that stunt in the sixth grade. It had been a prank I saw in a movie at the time and thought it was harmless fun. I was too naïve at that age to know what a period even was.
Aspen got her payback though. During the championship baseball game for the all-star team, she lined the locker-room bench with brown furniture polish, which left me with a huge brown stain on my white baseball pants. Right on my ass. Actually, that was a genius move on her part.
“Alex, we were both eleven years old. Didn’t we all do stupid things at that age?”
“Sure, but that was malicious.”
I watched as Aspen shrugged and turned her back to her sister.
“You need to leave, Owen Ramsey,” Alex protested, and I stood from the office chair and shut down the laptop I’d been using.
“No, he doesn’t. He’s with me, Alex, and I don’t need to ask your permission. You’ve never given two shits about what happened to me before. I don’t understand why you care now. I’m telling you it’s water under the bridge, so let it go.”
Her sister’s cheeks reddened at Aspen’s defense.
“Look, I’m just trying to—”
“If I wanted your advice, I’d ask for it. Besides, Owen and I are…” She paused and looked over at me with wide eyes.
“Dating,” I interjected.
“Dating?” Alex repeated in shock.
